Taksim Square is the heart of modern Istanbul, laid out in the late 1800s near a taksim in the city`s water distribution system. You can still see the taksim at the beginning of Istiklal Caddesi. The Independence Monument in the circle at the southern end of the square commemorates the Turkish Republic`s founder, Kemal Atatürk, in both his roles, as military commander-in-chief and as statesman.
